Letter to Dem Leadership on ACA Tax Credit

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September 29, 2025 

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
Majority Leader, United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries
House Democratic Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Katherine Clark
Majority Whip, U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries, Whip Clark, and Democratic Leadership,

Alongside parents across America, the National Parents Union writes to express strong support for preserving and extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits. Families are being stretched thinner than ever, living paycheck to paycheck and removing or reducing these critical health care subsidies would be an unacceptable and needless burden on millions of American households.

Why this matters for families and children:

Over 20 million Americans will see their monthly premiums double in the next 18 months if the tax credits aren’t extended. And these huge cost increases won’t hit every corner of the country the same: small business owners and employees, farmers, older adults, rural Americans, and those in southern red states will likely experience the worst of these healthcare changes. 

  • Many working families rely on these credits to keep health coverage affordable. Without them, premiums will rise sharply, pushing some out of the insurance market altogether.
  • Healthcare is not an optional line item; children’s preventive care, mental health services, and early treatment of illness or injury all depend on consistent access to coverage.
  • The loss of these credits would disproportionally harm middle-income, rural, self-employed, and small business families—those without access to employer-sponsored coverage.

A moral and practical imperative for action

Our organization believes health care access should not be a partisan wedge. It’s a foundational necessity for children and families to thrive, not just survive. To allow these credits to lapse would be to place an impossible burden on parents already balancing housing, food, child care, and education costs.

We urge your leadership to take these steps:

  1. Permanently extend the enhanced ACA tax credits.
  2. Reject efforts to impose arbitrary income caps or unnecessary restrictions that would exclude families who currently depend on these credits.
  3. Include this extension in the must-pass government funding/continuing resolution legislation, so that it does not become a casualty of broader budget negotiations.

Open enrollment begins in just weeks, and many families are already bracing for premium shock. Allowing health care coverage to become unaffordable for millions of American children and families risks not only their well-being but the stability of all our communities. 

We are also deeply concerned about President Trump’s erratic, unilateral decisions to withhold funding that Congress has already appropriated. The Trump administration is blocking over $400 billion of appropriated funds, in addition to pocket recissions and other backdoor deals to steal from communities. We are reassured that Democrats are similarly appalled by the erosion of separation of powers and the blatant disregard for Congress’s power of the purse. We encourage you to remain firm on this issue, to reclaim Congressional power, and to ensure that allocated funds actually reach the communities that rely on them. 

We stand ready to work with you, your offices, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to build consensus and pass lasting solutions. Thank you for your leadership and for protecting health care for children and families.

With respect and solidarity,

Keri Rodrigues
President 
National Parents Union 
 
Ariel Taylor Smith 
Senior Director of Policy 
National Parents Union